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Serviceman's mother helps organize relief

Mar-19-2004 » Filed Under: 3/2 SBCT

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By ROD DANIEL Staff Reporter

For the mother of a Hamilton man who is currently serving his country in Iraq, a simple prayer ritual was one of the few ways she felt she could make a difference in her son's world. But an article written by a reporter embedded in her son's brigade has changed all that. [...]

Last month Callaghan-Stover read a story by reporter Michael Gilbert of the Tacoma News Tribune about a unique program in which American soldiers are paying Iraqi refugees to help clear the rubble of what used to be an Iraqi military base and build themselves a community. Many of these refugees, according to the article, had previously been paid to shoot coalition forces.

The article went on to describe a project initiated by an Army Reserve staff sergeant in Mosul that taps the energy and resources of people back home to provide school supplies and blankets to Iraqi families trying to rebuild their lives. When Callaghan-Stover read about the grass-roots project which germed in western Washington, she decided to organize a similar effort from the Bitterroot Valley.

"People who know Ben always ask me, 'what can I do?'" she said. "So when I looked at this I thought there's something we can do. These people need pencils, paper, crayons and blankets, and we can send them directly to the Stryker brigade to be distributed to the people who need them."

Less than two weeks ago, with her son's blessing, Callaghan-Stover launched a local effort of "Operation Pencil, Operation Blanket," whereby people can donate such items by placing them in collection boxes located throughout the Hamilton and Darby area.


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